


Pick Your Poison, Make It Good

by ms_superwhoavengelockgermany06



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Abuse, Adoption, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom!Todd, F/M, Feels, First Kiss, First Time, Flirting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Modern AU, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony is Neil's Uncle, bottom!Steve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-13 13:32:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ms_superwhoavengelockgermany06/pseuds/ms_superwhoavengelockgermany06
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neil is a god at Welton. He's got high grades, he's popular, he has the world's best boyfriend (not that anyone knows. Its illegal to be gay at Hellton.) When the sudden death of his parents causes him to have to live with his uncle, he's worried about everything. Especially Todd.</p><p> </p><p>In New York, superhero billionaire Tony Stark must take on the responsibility of raising his sister's only son and his only nephew, Neil. When he first mets his nephew, he realises the boy has attitude and sarcasm to match his own. Not to mention, he's fifteen and moody, dealing with a relationship he won't tell Tony about and the death of his parents. Meanwhile, Tony's trying to figure out his own love life.</p><p>Author's Note: My apologies to everyone who has been reading this story and thank you for the wondeful comments and the kudos. This story will be on hiatus for a while, so sorry, guys. I promised my friend a special birthday fic and all, so I'll be busy. Sorry again. :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Its Neil's sophmore year and he has everything. He's number one in academics in his class, he got the part of Puck in _A Midsummer's-Night Dream,_ he's as popular as they come, and he has the greatest boyfriend in the world, whom had just came to Welton that year and today, they were celebrating their three month anniversary. Neil had woken up that morning, a sticky note on his forehead from Todd that read 'happy three month anniversary, babe.' That had started the day off right, and Neil hopped out of bed and dressed in his uniform before writing out a sticky note in respose and sticking it on the inside cover of Todd's latest read, _Twilight_. Neil smiled fondly. Todd had snuck the book in, seeing as they weren't allowed to read any books not given out by administrators. Todd was soft spoken and an incredibly good boy, always following rules and trying to get the best grades he could, but no one could keep him from his books, music, or art. Todd was painfully shy and he needed a serious self-esteem adjustment, but Neil loved him more than he'd loved anything else in his life. He was kind and sweet and smart, and he had moments where he was adventurous. Neil grabbed his binder and headed out the door.

********

Chemistry was unbearable for Todd. He was in a room of sharp and dangerous things, and knowing most of the kids he went to school with, he would be on the receiving end of any torture that they involved. He wasn't popular, he was shy and nerdy, and he had to wear thick glasses for reading, and that seemed to make him a prime bully target. Luckily today, there was no labs, no chemicals. Just paper and pencils, doing worksheets over balancing chemical equations. That, of course, didn't stop the other boys from tearing up pieces of notebook paper and using them to make spit balls and shoot them at the back of his head. Todd sighed and finished up his worksheet, waiting for the class to be over. He was hungry, and he had lunch and study hall after this class. When the bell finally rang, Todd grabbed his things, rushing out the door to get to his room. He had to pick up something to give to Neil. He set his things down neatly on his desk and looked in one of his drawers to retrieve Neil's gift. He smiled as he held it in his hands, tucked in into his jacket, and headed to the dining hall. 

*******

Lunch was definitely Neil's favorite part of the day. After he ate, he and Todd would go hide in the school's garden and talk. It was Todd's favorite place, the place where they had their first kiss. Neil happily ate and talked to his friends, listened to Charlie tell every sex joke in the book, and watched Todd stammer ungracefully over his responses to questions and blush a delicious shade of crimson. Once he heard the monitor say they could go outside, Neil jumped up and hurried to the garden to wait for Todd. He hadn't seen the blonde all day, and Neil was excited to give Todd the biggest kiss he could manage with _tongue._ Neil heard footsteps and smiled, figuring it was Todd. Neil's face fell when it was Mr. Keating. He liked the man, especially since he encouraged Todd, but he didn't really want to see him now.

"Good afternoon, Neil." Mr. Keating said kindly. 

"Good afternoon, Mr. Keating." Neil said politely 

"Waiting for Mr. Anderson, I presume?" 

"Yes sir. Its a special day." 

"I see. Well, I'll leave you alone. Just make sure you don't look a hot mess when you two have finished snogging, yes? Wouldn't want you getting a demerit or Todd getting bullied, would we?" 

Neil let out a small, breathless laugh. "Of couse not." 

Mr. Keating winked and walked away. Neil had no idea he knew. But it didn't surprise him. Mr. Keating saw everything, it seemed. Neil decided to pick a few flowers for Todd, only choosing they brightest colored ones. He heard footsteps again and straightened his jacket smiling. When Todd came into view, Neil gasped. Todd had a black eye and his nose was bloody. Neil rushed to him, pulling out a school issued hankerchief, dabbing at the deep red blood flowing down Todd's face. 

"Sorry." Todd whispered, shame filling his voice. 

"Good God, for what? Who did this? I'm going to fucking kill them, look at you..." Neil said. 

"I-I-I w-wouldn't give Ree-Reeves m-my Eng-Engli-English ass-assignment." 

"Harold did this to you? Harold Reeves? God, Todd, why didn't you tell someone? This isn't right, you've got to know that. You didn't deserve this." 

"May-Maybe I-I-I did." 

"No! Don't you _ever_ say that!" 

Todd flinched. He hadn't meant to make Neil angry. It just seemed like getting the crap beat out of him had become a daily thing, and Todd never _thought_ he did anything wrong, but he very well could have. Maybe he was just the school punching bag. Funny thing was, Welton had a strict no bullying policy because the boys were supposed to have tradition, honor, dicipline, and excellence. Todd hated the hypocracy. 

"You look better now, Todd. Just as gorgeous as ever." Neil said, smiling. Some stupid jerk wasn't going to ruin their day. But Neil was going to find the bastard later. 

"Thank you, Neil. Oh, I got you something. I hope you like it." Todd said quietly. 

Todd pulled out the little wrapped gift from his jacket and handed it to Neil, blushing and toeing the ground. Neil started to peel off the paper and he finally got to the gift underneath. He turned it in his hands a few times, letting the emotion behind the gift soak in. It was a necklace, just a twisted cord of leather with a small, circular charm. It was really masculine, and Neil thought it was great. He inspected the charm closely and noticed an inscription. 

_My dearest Neil, follow your heart. It will always lead you back to me. Love, TA._

"Why didn't you put your name, Todd? Why only your initials?" Neil asked, pulling Todd close. 

"There wasn't enough room. I barely got through the message. I kept stuttering." Todd said, kissing Neil lightly. 

"Either way, its wonderful. You really didn't have to get me anything." 

"With everything you've done for me? You deserve it." 

"Todd, you'vealready given me the most wonderful gift I could ever receive. Hearing your voice without a stutter, even if your stutter is really cute. I get to see sides of you no one else gets to see. You love me. You just don't see how perfect you are." 

Todd smiled and hugged Neil. He had the best boyfriend. Neil was just about to start kissing, Todd's face cradled in Neil's hands, Neil's forehead pressed against Todd's, and then Charlie ran over. The two boys pulled apart quickly and Charlie gripped Neil's shoulders. 

"Neil, I'm so sorry." Charlie said. 

"About what, Nuwanda?" Neil asked. 

"You haven't heard." 

"Heard what, Charlie?" 

"Your parents are dead. They were in a car accident."


	2. Chapter 2

Neil couldn't believe what he had just heard. His parents were dead. _Dead!_ Neil felt the tears welling in his eyes and he broke down when Todd put a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder. Neil gripped Todd tightly in a rib crushing hug, crying. Charlie walked away to give the two lovers space.

"Its okay to cry, Neil. Shh, its okay." Todd murmured soothingly. 

"Todd, the last thing me and parents ever did was _argue_. I never got to tell them I loved them one last time, I never apologized to my father..." Neil sobbed. 

"Oh, love. They know you love them. Do not feel guilty. They're in a better place, and they wouldn't want you to cry for them. They'd want you to be happy." 

"I love you, Todd. So much. Don't leave me. Please." 

"Not if I can help it, babe." 

Neil buried his face in the crook of Todd's soft, pale neck and cried until it was time to go to afternoon classes. 

*********

"Are you going to answer your phone, Tony?" Pepper asked, annoyed with the slightly hungover billionaire.

"Do I have to, Pep? Its too early to talk to people." Tony whined. 

"Yes. Your ringtone is obnoxious and it might be important." 

"Ugh, _fine_." 

Tony picked up his StarkPhone and answered it, stopping his totally _not_ obnoxious ringtone. He offered a gruff greeting to the person on the other end of the line. 

_"Hello, Mr. Stark. I am Harold Dalton. I regret to inform you that your sister, Kimberly, and her husband, Nathaniel, have been killed in a car accident. She specifically said she wanted you to plan the funeral."_ Harold said. 

"I'll plan it. An obituary will be in every paper by tommorow, fuuneral will be Friday. Thank you for giving me the news." Tony said, hanging up the phone. 

Tony was completely sober now. He and his sister may not have talked much, but he still loved his older sister. The brunette looked at Pepper, who raised an eyebrow. 

"Cancel all my appointments. I have a funeral to plan." Tony said, his voice monotone. 

"Oh Tony, I'm so sorry. I'll cancel everything for this week." Pepper said, kissing Tony's cheek. 

A few hours later, everything was in place. The funeral was planned and after an hour on the phone with friends and family of the Perry's, and the obituaries were to be in the papers tommorow. Just when Tony thought he could relax, maybe even let his guard down and cry a little, his lawyer called, stating that he had looked over the will of Kimberly and Nathaniel Perry, and that they had left one thing to Tony. 

Their fifteen year old son, Neil. 

Tony could believe it. His sister trusted her only son to _him?_ He may be the kid's uncle, but Christ, he didn't know anything about raising a kid, let alone a moody, sexually frustrated teenager! He was afraid he'd fuck the kid up, or that he'd hate him, or worse that the kid would hate him. Tony was pulled out of his thoughts by the lab door opening. The brunette scientist turned to see Steve Rogers walk in. He growled. 

"What do you want Captain Suck-My-Dick?" Tony snapped. 

Steve blushed, giving Tony the satisfaction of know he had embarrassed the good Captain. He was in a foul mood, and wasn't happy to see Mr. Perfect waltz in, most likely to yell at him about not doing his paperwork. As far as Tony was concerned, Steve could kiss his ass. 

"Earth to Captain Perfect! What the fuck do you want?" Tony snapped again. 

Steve looked at him through baby blue eyes and then looked at his shoes. He set a box on the table and promptly ran out of the lab. Tony mumbled something about the weird people he lived with and opened the box. There was a sandwich, chips, and a bottle of cola inside, and a freshly baked cookie to top it off. An envelope sat atop everything else. Tony tossed it aside. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. He felt like he should say thank you to Steve, but Tony Stark didn't do thank you's for anybody. The food helped Tony relax a little bit, and he started to work on some updates for his latest suit of armor, and found he couldn't concentrate. He felt he should get ready for Neil to come live in the tower. Not that he knew anything about Neil or 'nesting' or whatever the hell. Tony knew only one person he could do things like that, and he really didn't want to ask him for help. Tony sighed. He needed help from Steve and the rest of the Avengers. 

*******

A few days later, Neil was feeling a little more at peace with his parents' death, with much help from Todd. It was Friday now, and Neil was dressed and ready to go to the funeral. He wanted Todd to come with him, but the Dean wouldn't grant permission. So Neil stood alone in the funeral parlor, surrounded by so called friends and the little family he had. Everyone came to give Neil their regards, and Neil felt suffocated by all the saddness and false looking tears. He stepped outside, not noticing the man following him. He sat on a bench, head in hands. He wanted Todd so badly to wrap his arms around him and whisper his soothing, poetic words into his ear. Neil gripped the charm of his necklace in one hand, closing his eyes. He could almost feel Todd's comfort with him, eveloping him in a warm, comforting hug.

"Neil? Neil Perry?" A voice asked. 

Neil looked up, eyes wide. "Who are you?" He asked. 

"I am Phillip Coulson, a friend of your uncle's. According to your parents' will, you are now in custody of your uncle, Anthony Stark. I was instructed to bring you to your new home in New York." The man, Phillip, said. 

"But- its only November. School hasn't even finished yet, sir. I don't even know my uncle Anthony. I've only ever met him once." 

"You will start school in New York at a prestigious academy called Manhattan Prepartory. You are to pack your things as soon as you are back at Welton and I will take you to Stark Tower." 

"Yes sir. Will you take me back to Welton?" 

"I will. You are feeling overwhelmed, yes?" 

"Just a little, Mr. Coulson." 

"Call me Phil, son." 

Neil smiled a little bit and let himself be led by Phil to a black SUV. 

Once they were back at Welton, Neil went directly to his dorm. He knew Todd would be resting there for a little bit before extracurriculars. He opened the door slowly to reveal Todd, sitting cross-legged on, not his bed, but Neil's, reading a book. Todd smiled when he saw Neil, patting the bed beside him. Neil smiled back and took a seat beside Todd. 

"Hey, Neil. How are you feeling?" Todd asked softly. 

"Much better, now that I'm here with you." Neil said, nuzzling Todd's neck. 

"Was the funeral okay?" 

"Yeah. I have to pack. My uncle - he got custody of me, according to my parents' will. I have to live with him. Starting today." 

"Oh, Neil. I'm going to miss you a lot." 

"Hey, maybe you can visit. I'll write to you, babe, I promise." 

"I'll keep you to that, Neilly." 

"I figured, Todder Tot." 

"You want some help packing?" 

Neil nodded. The two boys started to pack Neil's belongings. Todd packed clothes, because he could fold them more neatly than Neil ever could, and Neil packed his personal things. Right before Neil closed his suitcase, Todd slipped something else in. Neil cast Todd a sideways glance before pulling the item out. It was a book, a quite heavy one at that. Neil ran his fingers over the spine and read the title. _The Chronicles of Narnia_ by C. S. Lewis. Neil's jaw dropped. 

"Todd, this is your favorite book! And this is the whole series in one! I can't take this." Neil said, putting back in Todd's hands. 

"Neil, I know if I send it with you, it will be in a good place. And I was hoping maybe it would remind you to always carpe diem," Todd smiled, "And remind you of me." Todd said, kissing Neil's cheek. 

"I'll take good care of it, Todd. This is...wow. Thank you." 

"No problem." 

"Mr. Perry, please hurry up." Phil called through the door. 

Neil looked at Todd and cupped his face, kissing him softly on the lips. He gave Todd one more goodbye. 

"I love you, Todd. See you soon." Neil said. 

"I love you too, Neil. Stay safe, please." Todd said. 

"You too, baby." 

Neil walked out the door, leaving Todd all alone in his dorm. He was going to miss Neil.


	3. Chapter 3

Neil was silent on the drive to Manhattan. He was letting the ideas of not being at Welton, not seeing Todd everyday, and having to live with his uncle he'd only met _once,_ sink in. He was grateful that Phil didn't talk much, just left him alone with his thoughts. Phil cleared his throat. He handed Neil a phone and Neil raised an eyebrow befoe fiddling with it to figure out how it worked.

"This is a StarkPhone. Your uncle insisted that you have a cell phone for safety reasons. Well, actually, I believe Captain Rogers demanded you have a cell phone, and your uncle agreed. Anyway, its yours. You can download apps, the main numbers you will need are already programmed in the contact file." Phil said. 

"Oh, wow. I've never had a cell phone before; and this one is very extravagant." Neil said. 

"First time for everything. The tower will be coming up on your left. I will drop you off with Ms. Potts and she will take you to Anthony." 

"Yes sir," Neil sighed, then his eyes widened, "Is that the tower? With 'STARK' written across it?" 

"It is. I will warn you, your uncle Anthony has a bit of an attitude. And he is sarcastic and arrogant. I apologize beforehand for anything he does." 

"I'm sure it will be fine. Thank you, for bringing me." 

"No problem. It is my job, after all." 

Neil smiled and got out of he SUV, grabbing his suitcase as he did so. Phil got out as well and followed Neil to the gate, talking into an earpiece. At the gate stood a beautiful red-headed woman in a nice pin-striped skirt and white blouse, a clipboard in her hands. she smiled kindly at him. He gave her a smile back. 

"Hello, Phil. And hi, you must be Neil. I'm Virginia Potts, but you can call me Pepper. I'm Tony's PA, technically, but I run his company for him while he's off being a superhero and what not-" Pepper said pleasantly, cutting off when Phil made a motion for her to stop speaking. 

"Oh! You haven't been briefed. I guess Phil's leaving that to us. Thank you, Phil, for dropping him off." Pepper said, giving Phil a kiss on the cheek. 

"You're very welcome, Pepper. I will see you later, Neil." Phil said, getting back into the SUV. 

They watched the vehicle drive away before Pepper gripped Neil's shoulder and they started walking towards the tower. Once inside, Pepper gave him a short tour of the lower floors, which basically consisted of : 'these are the Stark Industries Research and Development floors. You aren't permitted down here.' Neil just smiled and nodded as she talked, trying to seem interested. He really didn't care, though. Everything was big and modern, full of technology. Neil wasn't exactly amazed or amused, but intrigued he was. Finally, they got to the floors where the common areas and apartments were. She took him to the main floor. 

"This is the team floor. Everyone kind of meets here, though they have their own floors. I think you'll find Tony in the living room. I'll take you there." Pepper said. 

She took him to a large room where six people were sitting, all doing various things. The first person that caught his eye, though, was the blonde sitting on the floor, quietly reading a book and eating an apple. He looked like an older, more muscular version of Todd, and that made Neil smile. 

"Hey! There's my nephew!" An older man, probably late forties, with brunette hair, said. 

"Neil, this is your uncle, Tony Stark. I'll leave you to the introductions, Tony." Pepper said. 

"I figured. He doesn't look much different from the last time I saw him. But the last time, he was drunk and hit on the clown on my fifth birthday party." Neil said. 

Neil saw Tony open his mouth, but ignored him and sat beside the blonde man on the floor. He was curious about the man, who had an air of silent confidence and power radiating off of him. 

"Wow, Stark, your own nephew just blew you off for _Steve_. Are you sure you two are related?" A smaller blonde man asked, cleaning arrows while he sat in a chair. 

"Is that your name? Steve?" Neil asked quietly, looking at the blonde man beside him. 

"Oh. Yeah, it is. Captain Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you." The blonde, Steve, said, smiling. 

"I'm Neil. Neil Perry." 

"I know. I painted the murals in your room." 

Neil looked shocked and Steve let out a little laugh a the boy's surprise. Tony made a face. Why did Neil want to be all chummy with Steve? It was weird! Tony cleared his throat. 

"Well, Neil, I guess I should introduce you to everyone. You already met Captain Ice pop, Legolas over there with his precious arrows is Clint Barton, Russian Red-headed beauty is Natasha Romanov, Blondie with the red cape is Thor, and the nerdy guy with the glasses is Bruce Banner, or my science bro. And I'm your awesome uncle, Tony Stark. You can just call me Tony. Or Uncle Tony, whatever." Tony said cheekily. 

Neil scowled. It was rude to make fun of people. Tony wasn't getting on Neil's good side, in fact, he was doing the complete opposite. But Phil had warned him that Tony could have a bit of an attitude, so Neil decided to fight fire with fire. 

"You shouldn't make fun of people. I'm sure they have nicknames for you, too, _Grandpa._ " Neil hissed, annoyed. 

"Oh, burn!" Clint said. 

"I'm not the grandpa here, that would be Captain Dipstick over there!" Tony said, his voice full of disbelief. 

"I like you already, kid." Natasha said, her lips curled up into a cruel smile. 

"I've never seen anyone match Tony's attitude. You are going to go down in Fury's history books." Bruce said with a chuckle. 

"If everyone's done laughing at me..." Tony pouted. 

__

"Now you know how it feels, don't you?" Neil asked, raising an eyebrow. 

__

Tony made an annoyed noise and took Neil's shoulder, steering him towards the elevator. This kid was definitely related to him in every way. As much as he wanted to be angry with his nephew, he couldn't. He admired Neil's fierceness and his ability to think quickly on his feet. Tony smiled slightly as Neil fingered the necklace he was wearing. 

__

"Gift from your girlfriend? I'm not surprised that you would have one. You definitely got your looks from your mom's side." Tony said. 

__

"A friend of mine gave it to me as an anni- as a birthday present." Neil said, sadness filling his voice. 

__

"A friend that was more than a friend?" 

__

"Maybe." 

__

"You went to an all-boys school, right?" 

__

"Yeah." 

__

"Look, kid, I'm not good with this whole 'bonding' thing, let alone parenting. I'm happy to have you here, Neil, and everyone else is glad, too. I want us to be close, and that's really outta character for me. So, if you try, can you try, too?" 

__

Neil looked at Tony and then touched his necklace. He didn't want to try. He wanted to be back at Welton, he wanted his parents to be _alive._ He thought about what Todd would do, and he knew Todd would give anyone a chance, even if they were utter assholes to him. Neil decided that he would give Tony a chance. Who knows, maybe Tony would be a cool uncle. 

__

"I'll try, Uncle Tony." Neil said with a smile. 

__

"Okay, no more of this 'Uncle' crap. Just call me Tony. Uncle's _way_ too formal." Tony said, bumping Neil with his shoulder. 

__

Neil smiled and nodded. Tony grinned and opened up a door. He motioned for Neil to come in. Neil walked into the room, and his breath was taken away. The left wall had a mural painted on it, a scene from _Mid Summer's-Night Dream._ The rest of the room was painted in his favorite color, royal blue. The bedspread was light blue and there was a bookshelf filled with books and magazines. Neil didn't know what to say. He knew it must have taken a lot of time and effort, especially for the mural. 

__

"Wow, this is awesome. Thank you, Tony." Neil said. 

__

"No problem. Steve did the murals. You want some help unpacking?" Tony asked. 

__

"Yes, please. I just don't want to be alone." 

__

"I understand." 

__

Neil put his suitcase on the bed and unzipped it. The first thing he pulled out was the book Todd had sent with him. He set it aside while he started organizing things. Tony pulled out some pictures, and one caught his eye. It was framed, and it was a picture of Neil and a blonde boy with blue eyes, who was blushing. Neil had his arm around the blonde's shoulder, and it looked a little more than friendly. Todd was curious. It was possible that this was Neil's boyfriend, or a best friend, that could be it, too. Tony turned the picture in his hands. Neil looked over and snatched the picture from Tony. It was his favorite picture of him and Todd. 

__

"Who is he?" Tony asked. 

__

"A friend. My best friend. His name is Todd." Neil said. 

__

"Oh. He looks nice." 

__

"He is. Uh, I want to finish unpacking alone." 

__

"Sure. Dinner is at eight." 

__

"Okay." 

__

Tony walked out of the room, leaving Neil alone.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. I know its not great. Forgive me? *awkward smile*


	4. Chapter 4

It had only been two weeks since Neil moved to New York, but Todd already missed him. School was Hell without his lover, and since Neil left, Todd had been getting bullied a lot more. On Thursday, he was feeling really worn down and he just wanted to read a book when he got into his dorm after extracurriculars, but Knox ran in. Todd sighed.

"How are you feeling, Todd?" He asked. 

"Okay. I'm just a little tired." Todd replied. 

"Well, Mr. Nolan asked me to give this to you. Its a letter from Neil. Enjoy." 

Todd took the letter from Knox excitedly and Knox smiled. 

"How's Chris?" Todd asked. 

"Huh?" Knox asked, confused. 

"Chris? Your girlfriend? How is she?" 

"Oh! She's great! She's taking some SAT prep courses and she became head cheerleader recently." 

"Good for her. Tell her I said congratulations." 

"Will do. Hey, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I know Neil moving has been hard on you and all, and I'm here for you. Promise." 

"Thanks, Knox. That means a lot. Well, I-I'm going to read this, so-" 

"I'm leaving, don't worry. Personal moment, I get it." 

"Sorry. Maybe we can hang out later?" 

"You got it." 

Knox got up and left, waving to Todd as he shut the door. Todd relaxed on the bed and opened up the letter. He smiled at Neil's writing, not exactly mess, but far from neat. It warmed Todd to the core. He started to read. 

_Dear Todder Tot,_

 _Yeah, I used your nickname, what are you going to do about it, cutie? Jokes aside, living with my uncle isn't so bad. His name is Tony Stark, and he lives in a huge tower in Manhattan. He runs a technology company called Stark Industries, and he makes some of the coolest tech ever! Its not just us in the tower, though. Tony has friends that stay with him. Their names are Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, and Thor. Steve reminds me of you a lot, so I spend a lot of time with him. He painted a really nice mural of a scene from A Mid Summer-Night's Dream in my room. My new school sucks, though. There's no you, there's no Chris-obsessed Knox, no 'off the wall' Charlie, no illegal radio building Meeks and Pitts. There's plenty of people like Cameron here, which is even worse. I can't wait for you to meet everyone! Tony said you could come visit at Christmas, if its okay with your parents. He already got you a plane ticket, which is enclosed in he envelope. The group is already really excited to meet you. And you know I miss you more than anything. And if you come at Christmas, New York will be gorgeous. It will be snowing. I know how much you love snow._

 _

I've been thinking about you a lot. You've been in all my dreams, and every time I start practicing lines, I can't focus because all I want to do is run my fingers through your golden hair again. I've been thinking about doing other things to you, but I'm sure you know what they are and would get all blushy if I wrote them down. I always wear the necklace you gave me, even though it breaks dress code at Manhattan Prep. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I want this to get to you as soon as possible and its dinner time. Clint made pizza, and I don't want to miss that! 

Love, Neil 

P.S- I love you, Todd.

_

Todd smiled and let out a little, breathy laugh. Of course Neil cut the letter short for food. Its was so like Neil that it made Todd start to cry. It hurt to read Neil's letter as much as it made Todd happy. He missed Neil so badly, and he wanted to see him at Christmas. Todd got out a piece of paper and started to write a letter in response, and decided that afterwards, he would call his parents and ask them if he could visit Neil and his uncle at winter break. 

************

When Neil came home from school a few days later, he was angry. He wanted to throw things and vent to someone, and by someone, he meant Todd. He hated his new school, and the next girl that flirted with him was going to hear a few words from him that weren't so nice. Anyone else might have liked the attention, but Neil was happily in a relationship with the most wonderful person in the world, and no girl, no matter how big her breasts were or how nice she was, was going to change that. Neil was about to go up to his room, when he heard someone speak.

"Hey, kid." A voice called. Neil looked around and saw no one. 

"Above you, Neil. Use the couch to get up here." The voice called again. 

Neil looked up and saw Clint hanging out of one of the ducts. Neil raised an eyebrow, but ditched his backpack and climbed onto the couch, jumping to reach Clint's hands to be pulled up. Once they were both enclosed in the metal duct, Clint replaced the cover. Neil was on his hands and knees, waiting for Clint to explain himself. 

"Follow me." Clint said, crawling away. 

Neil sighed, but followed. Living in a house with a bunch of superheroes was weird. He had to train in combat as a precaution and Phil taught him the SHIELD Handbook and showed him how to fire a gun with excellent precision. Clint taught him archery, Natasha taught interrogation, Tony taught him how to make things out of nothing, Bruce showed him how to decode messages that were in code and how to make things explode, Thor taught him about some Asgardian magic, and Steve just taught him everything else. Strategy and tactics, things along those lines. Now he was crawling through air ducts for God knows what reason. Soon, they stopped in front of another duct cover and Clint put a finger to his lips before pointing downwards. Neil looked through the slats at Tony and Steve, who were bickering, as usual. But this was a little different than their usual arguments. Steve usually fought back, but right now, he just looked close to tears. 

"What are they arguing about?" Neil asked in a whisper. 

"Not arguing. Tony is angry, because some guy in a bar we went to last night felt Steve up and made him really uncomfortable, but Steve just walked away and didn't tell the guy anything. Now Tony's yelling at him, and he's been calling him a slut for about," Clint checked his watch, "three hours now? Yeah, three." 

"I've never seen Steve cry." 

"None of us have. Steve is really strong, but if Tony yells at him, he breaks. He...He has a crush on Tony, I think." 

"Why don't we find out? Natasha said I need practice getting information out of people discreetly." 

"We can't. Your uncle needs to get his shit together and see what's right in front of him. Steve's never gonna make the first move because he's too shy and Tony's too oblivious to even try. Come on, kid. You've probably got homework or something. Oh, and you got a letter in the mail from that Todd guy. You ever gonna tell us who he is?" 

"You might be meeting him soon if his parents allow him to come visit over winter break. He's great." 

Clint smiled and led Neil back to the living room, where they both got out of the vents. Natasha was sitting on the couch. 

"You better not let Steve catch you two up there. He'll have a heart attack if he thinks one of you is going to get hurt." She said stoically. 

"He'd have a heart attack if one of us got a _paper cut_." Clint said. 

"Don't be an asshole, Clint." 

"Where's the letter?" Neil asked, breaking the tension that had settled in the room. 

"Kitchen table, Neil. You should eat a snack before you open it or start your homework." Steve said, walking into the living room. 

Neil felt bad for Steve. His face was red and blotchy, his eyes bloodshot. You could tell he'd been crying for awhile. He wondered if it was hard to be Captain America, to have the weight of the world and the opinions of everyone in it resting heavily on your shoulders. He was certain it was. Steve walked into the kitchen, and Neil picked up his backpack, following Steve. He sat at the table and watched Steve for a moment. The blonde was pulling things out of the pantry to start dinner. Neil scanned the table and grabbed the letter before sitting down. 

"Are you and Todd good friends?" Steve asked suddenly, startling Neil. 

"Yes, we are. He's...very special to me." Neil replied. 

"Is he your boyfriend?" 

"Well, uh, I" Neil couldn't think of what to say, so he went with the truth, "Yeah. He's been my boyfriend since September." 

"That's nice. I didn't mean to pry. I was curious, an I know Tony was, too." 

"I don't care what Tony is curious about." 

"Don't say that, Neil. Tony is a good man, he just falls off the wagon sometimes. Sometimes when he speaks, you just grin and bear." 

"How can you be so nice to him when he treats you like shit?" 

"Language, Neil. Like I said, Tony's a good man. Fighting fire with fire doesn't work when it comes to people who are bullies. Most of the time, if you're just civil, things work out." 

"You're wise." 

"I'm also old enough to be your great-grandfather." Steve laughed. 

Neil smiled too, happy to see Steve grinning again. Neil opened his letter from Todd and started to read. 

_Dear Neilly,_

 _I can use nicknames too, you tart. I miss you a lot, Neil. School is a spinning black vortex without you here. All the fellas send their regards, and Charlie said that, and I quote, "He misses you, you motherfucker, and he misses having someone to help him cheat in Latin." We haven't had another DPS meeting since you left. It doesn't feel right. Mr. Keating also says hello, and that he misses your poetry, as well as you. Have you read the book I sent yet? There's a sticky note in it for you. Knox has been helping me deal with bullies and whatnot, so don't worry about me. I'm glad to hear you've been making friends with your uncle and his friends, and is it just a coincidence that they're all named after the most famous superheroes in the known world? Because if you're living with Captain America, I'd like an autograph. My parents said it was okay for me to come visit for winter break-yes, the whole two weeks- and in December, I'll be on a plane to see you, my love. I'm very happy that you like the necklace and are still wearing it._

 _

About your dreams...you should tell me about them. I've been having them about you as well. And since you withheld yours from me, you don't get to know about mine. But I will say that you are always in my mind, and every poem I've written since you left is about you. Please stay safe, my heart, and be good. Don't get yourself into any trouble, and try not to kill you uncle if he's too hard on you. You're always number one in my heart, Neil. I love you. 

Always ours, Todd 

P.S- I love you, Neil, and I miss you. XOXO. 

_

Neil was crying. He was crying so hard that everyone in the tower came to see if he was okay. Todd wasn't okay. He could tell by Todd's writing. It wasn't neat and perfect as usual. It was messy and the pen had almost ripped through the paper. Todd was hurting, physically and mentally. But to appease everyone, he said they were tears of joy, because Todd was coming to visit at Christmas. No one believed him, not for a second, but they allowed him to go to his room and Steve said he'd call when it was dinner time. Neil hurried to his room. He didn't want to be near his uncle. He spent the evening crying.


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks and ten letters later, it was the beginning of winter break, and Neil was bouncing around the tower, waiting to go get Todd at the airport. Everyone was happy today, and that made Neil even happier . Todd's plane wasn't due to land until three p.m., and Neil was dying of boredom.

"Young Neil! Why do you mope about? Today is a joyous day for you, yes?" Thor boomed happily. 

"Yeah, but I'm so _bored_. Todd's plane won't land for another three hours." Neil moaned dramatically. 

"Neil, feet off the coffee table." Steve chastised gently. 

"Is this how it feels for you when Tony is gone, Steve?" 

Steve stiffened at the question and walked away. Neil sat up straighter. Had he crossed a line? He hadn't meant to. Bruce walked in with a textbook and put it on the coffee table before sitting down. 

"Did I miss a team meeting?" Bruce asked, confused. 

"No. I think I hurt Steve's feelings." Neil said. 

"I'm sure that's not the case, Neil. Steve's been on edge lately. Fury's got him training new recruits and Tony's been on his case, and he's been traveling a lot. He doesn't like being away from the tower. He thinks we're his responsibility and he likes to take care of us. And when you came to live with us, it was like he had a son." 

"He sees me as his son?" 

"He sees all of us as his children. Especially Clint," Bruce smirked, "You know how Clint needs to be babysat." 

Neil laughed. "Yeah." 

"Anthony Stark, if you don't get your ass in the kitchen and eat some lunch, I'm going to have JARVIS lock you out of your lab. You know how important it is to Neil for you to go with him to pick up Todd. You aren't even dressed!" Thor, Bruce, and Neil heard Steve shout from down the hall. 

"Steve, you are not my mother or my boyfriend, so just back the fuck off!" Came Tony's response. 

"You're letting down your nephew, Anthony!" 

"And you're giving me a headache, you dumb blonde!" 

"You know what? I'll take Neil to the airport, you selfish bastard!" 

When Tony stumbled into the room, everyone tried to act like they hadn't heard a thing. Well, everyone but Thor, who picked up Mjölnir and pointed it at Tony. Thunder boomed outside as Thor got angrier. 

"You dare say such hurtful things to the good Captain? You are petty, Stark, and you are not fulfilling your duties as a nurturer." Thor said. 

"Tony, you should apologize. You know how much Steve's had on his plate lately, and it wasn't right to be facetious." 

"Apologize? To Captain Kiss-Ass? Hell no." Tony said. 

"I'll get Natasha to make you." Neil said. 

"God, Neil, why do you always pull that card?" Tony whined. 

"Because its the only thing that works." 

Tony stuck out his tongue before going f to find Steve. He didn't want to be on he receiving end of Natasha's fury when she found out Steve was upset and he had caused it. Neil sighed irritably as he watched Tony go. How could the man be so _stupid?_ Couldn't he see that Steve was falling heads over heels for him? Steve just cared about the brunette genius so much, and Neil knew Tony was going to be the death of the blonde soldier. Neil chuckled a little. It was just like Todd and himself. Todd had Neil wrapped around his finger, and Neil would do anything for the blonde. Neil sighed again. It was like God had slowed time down because he knew how much Neil wanted to see his lover. 

When time finally sped up, it was two thirty and Neil was dragging Tony to the garage to get in a car and go. Steve came along too, fussing over both brunettes and telling them to put their coats on. Once they were all in the car, they drove to the airport. It was pretty outside, well, as pretty as it could be. Snow covered the ground and it shimmered in the sunlight, and Neil thought about all the inspiration it could provide for Todd's poetry. It wasn't long until they arrived a their destination, and it took everything Neil had not to jump out of the car and run to find Todd. 

"Put your jacket on, Neil." Steve said, getting out of the car. 

Neil put on his jacket quickly and went into the building to find Todd. Tony and Steve followed behind, giving Neil his space. 

Searching over the hoards of people, Neil was standing on his toes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Todd. He didn't see the boy anywhere, though. Then he spotted a boy trying to get through the crowd awkwardly while holding all of his bags and a book. Neil smiled-he'd know that behavior anywhere. Neil started to make his way to Todd, hugging the awkward poet when he reached him. 

"Todder Tot! I missed you!" Neil exclaimed excitedly, hugging Todd until he couldn't breathe. 

"Neil! I thought I'd never find you in this place. Everyone is being kind of rude and pushy." Todd said, hugging Neil back and adding a kiss on the cheek. 

"Well, I found you, my love. Come on, my uncle and his friend brought me here. I figure you'd like to rest for a while before we go places." 

"It wasn't a very long plane ride. Only a few hours." 

"Five hours, Todd. _Five._ And you probably read four books in that ride." 

Todd blushed and smiled before kissing Neil again, this time on the lips. Neil smiled and cupped Todd's face before remembering that he had people waiting. He grabbed Todd's wrist and they made their way to Steve and Tony. Todd stiffened at the strangers, and Neil put a hand to the small of his back to provide some comfort. Steve was smiling and Tony was fiddling with his phone, but neither of them noticed the two boys walk up. When they did, though, Steve was quick to stick out a hand to greet Todd. Todd backed away, cowering slightly. 

"Hello, I'm Steve. You must be Todd. Neil never stops talking about you." Steve said brightly. 

Todd just blinked a few times and looked at the floor. 

"Way to be rude, kid." Tony snapped. 

Todd startled at the hateful tone and quivered. 

"Todd's really shy. He's not trying to be rude; he's just afraid." Neil said. 

"That's okay. We won't hurt you, Todd, no one will while you're here. I promise. And ignore Tony. He's just cranky." Steve said. 

Todd nodded and the group started to walk back to the car. Steve's promise hadn't made him feel any better; if anything, it made him feel like a burden. Todd huddled further into his coat and just stuck by Neil.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry its taken so long for this update. I needed some time to think about where to go with this story. Now I'm back and here is chapter six! :D

Todd sat beside Neil in the car, reading his book quietly. Steve had been chattering happily about how nice it was to finally meet him and how much Neil talked about him. Steve seemed nice enough to Todd, and Todd suddenly realized something. He was in a car with Captain America and Iron Man, two objects of his hero worship. His eyes widened and he closed his book. This was something he had hoped for all his life.

"I didn't mean to pull you away from your reading, Todd. I've just heard so much about you from Neil. He never stops talking about you, and I've heard nothing but good things." Steve said brightly. 

"R-Really?" Todd asked, blushing. 

"Huh. You have the same blush as Steve." Tony noted absently. 

That comment made Steve blush. Neil smirked. Tony was right; Todd and Steve did have the same blush. Neil held Todd's hand in his own. Todd was freezing and Neil was like a heater. Todd leaned into him, but Neil pushed him away slightly. Todd pulled his hand towards his chest. He felt like crying. Had Neil moved on? It was Todd's worst nightmare. Neil looked at Todd sympathetically. He didn't mean to push Todd away; he just didn't want Tony finding out about the relationship before he had a chance to tell him. Steve and Clint had figured it out by themselves and Neil wondered how Tony hadn't. He was the one most experienced in that area. 

"We figured you could stay in Neil's room while you're here, Todd, if that's okay." Steve said. 

"S-Sure. We shared a d-dorm at W-W-Welton." Todd said. 

"Did you? Neil never mentioned that. Oh, look. That's the tower. Tony owns it-he's the head of Stark Industries. He invents some of the most amazing things." 

"So I-I-I've heard." 

Steve smiled as they pulled into the garage. Neil pulled Todd out of the car and Todd barely had time to grab his bags before Neil was pulling him to the elevator. Once they were in the elevator, Neil pushed Todd against the wall and pressed their lips together in a loving kiss. Todd cupped Neil's face and Neil's hands wandered to grasp Todd's hips. They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't notice the elevator door open. 

"Already christening the elevator, Neil?" A voice teased. 

Neil spun around to face one Clint Barton, whose smirk had Neil and Todd both blushing wildly. Todd looked at his feet and Neil sputtered, searching for an explanation. Clint just smiled knowingly. 

"Take it to your room, kid. I won't tell Tony." Clint said with a wink. 

"Its not Tony I'm worried about." Neil said. 

"I won't tell Steve either. You should go." 

Neil smiled gratefully and pushed a button so the elevator would take him and Todd to their floor. They continued their make-out session until they got to their floor. Neil picked up Todd's bags and the blonde looked like he was about to protest, but Neil silenced him easily. Neil opened the door to his room and Todd stepped inside, a look of pure amazement on his face. The walls were covered in beautiful murals and Neil desk was littered with pictures of the two of them. It made Todd's heart swell. Neil's bed was unmade, causing Todd to smile and shake his head. Classic Neil. 

"I'm sorry." Neil said, pulling Todd into his arms. 

"For what?" Todd asked. 

"Earlier in the car. My uncle doesn't know about us yet. I wanted to tell him." 

"Its okay, Neil. As long as I can be near you now." 

The two boys kissed and fell onto the bed, Neil on top of Todd, pinning his arms against the bed by his wrists. Todd giggled breathlessly as Neil kissed him again. The two boys kissed lazily, Neil still on top of the shy blonde. 

"You're so beautiful, Todd. God, how can no one else see how gorgeous you are?" Neil said, pressing his and Todd's foreheads together. 

"I'm not that great, Neil, really." Todd said. 

"You're wrong, Todd. You are the most amazing person I have ever met, and I'm surround by superheroes and geniuses all day. One day you'll realize just how special you are, my love." 

Todd smiled softly and kissed Neil again. The door opened and Clint walked in. He made a strained noise and covered his eyes. 

"Jesus fucking Christ, please tell me you weren't about to fuck! Oh God, please!" Clint exclaimed. 

"No. No! We were just, uh, Clint, it isn't what it looks like!" Neil said hurriedly. 

"I hope not. We need you downstairs. Bring Todd, too. Its urgent." 

"We'll be down in five, Clint, I promise." 

Clint nodded and promptly left the room, shutting the door behind him. 

"We should get up now." Neil said. 

"That would be a good idea." Todd said with a smile. 

Five minutes later, the boys made their way down to the communal kitchen, where Tony and Bruce were fretting over something on the table and Steve was muttering to Clint and Natasha about battle plans. Thor stood in the corner and thunder rolled outside. 

"Quick introductions. That's Clint, this is Natasha, Bruce is over there, that's Thor, and you already met Steve and I." Tony said quickly. 

"What's going on?" Neil asked. 

"Letter sent to SHIELD. We're not sure what it means. The whole thing is written like poetry, but it doesn't rhyme." 

"May I take a look at it?" Todd spoke up suddenly. 

Everyone looked at him and Todd felt small under the stares. 

"Kid, I don't think-" Clint started. 

"I understand poetry well. I think I can help." Todd said, a little more confident. 

Bruce slid the sheet of paper over to Todd silently. Todd looked over the note carefully. 

_To Earth's Mightiest Heroes, I say hello,_

 _Your victories have been sung, but your failures have been forgotten,_

 _

You have failed me, and for that you shall pay, 

In fortnight's time and three hours from this day, 

Your greatest asset will become my greatest prize, 

And when I have that, you have five days before he shall die, 

And your debt will be payed in the blood of a son, 

But however, this song will remain unsung.

_

Todd's eyebrows knit together in thought. Whoever wrote this obviously thought the Avengers had failed him, and he was going to take their greatest asset in two weeks and three hours. The asset was male and it would become the villains greatest prize. After the villain caught the asset he would kill them after five day had passed, and no one would know about it. 

"In two weeks and three hours, someone is going to come after your greatest male asset. Once they have him, they will kill him after five days have passed. This person thinks you all have failed him somehow, and the news of your failure was never announced, and he say the death of this person will go unnoticed as well." Todd said. 

"How did you do that, Todd?" Natasha asked. 

"I read a lot of poetry. Its become a second language to me." 

"How can someone's death go unnoticed? People know when homeless orphans die. If one of us were to die, it would be noticed." Clint said. 

"Maybe its not one of us." Bruce proposed. 

"It said our greatest asset. The only two people here in this tower besides us are Neil and Pepper." Tony said. 

"Todd's here now, too." Neil said. 

Tony rolled his eyes, which made Neil angry. Todd had become an asset the minute he deciphered that riddle. They needed the blonde poet to know what this anonymous villain was saying. Todd stood shyly in his corner. He knew he couldn't be their greatest asset. He hadn't done anything but figure out what the horribly crafted poem had meant. 

"Neil, we need to train you more. Maybe we should start training Todd a little, too, just in case." Steve said. 

"Steve, that kid isn't anything special. We should be realistic." Tony said. 

"Tony, stopping being an ass! He just helped us figure out that poem. That makes him as important as any of us. Todd, I know it's your vacation, but we need to teach you how to fight. Neil take him to the gym. Clint, Natasha, Thor, and I will be up there in a minute." 

Neil nodded and grabbed Todd's hand. Todd looked at Neil through confused eyes. Neil gave him a look that said he'd explain everything. Once they were in the elevator, Todd looked at him. 

"Neil, what's going on? I can't be an asset. I'm not important." Todd said. 

"You are, Todd. Even if the asset isn't you, I want you to be prepared. I want you safe." Neil said. 

The boys walked into the gym and Neil helped Todd get into some training gear. Neil kissed him softly. 

"Don't worry, Todd. You're safe here." Neil said.


End file.
